Huma Qureshi: Monica is James Bond in a red dress

Huma Qureshi

There's something about red lipstick. Like most women, Huma Qureshi will vouch for its power. It, after all, landed her the role of Monica Machado in Vasan Bala's Monica O My Darling. "I had gone to Sriram's [Raghavan, producer] office for something else, and met Vasan. Two days later, he called me for the film's narration because I had worn red lipstick the day he saw me. When I had entered Sriram's office, Vasan thought that Monica had walked in," she laughs, adding that she had sported the bold shade to divert attention from her dark circles.

The Netflix black comedy is winning praise

Qureshi's Monica is at the centre of Bala's black comedy, also starring Rajkummar Rao and Radhika Apte. She is the top boss' secretary, unabashedly using seduction to one-up a system that considers her disposable. She is equally unapologetic about fighting for her right, even if that involves being the villain in her male colleagues' lives. "Monica is the only woman in a board full of men. It's clearly a glass ceiling. To some, she comes across as someone who blackmails or controls men, but Monica knows why she is doing it. That's also why people are connecting with her - because she is human," says Qureshi, who is earning rave reviews for her performance.

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For an actor who despises cookie-cutter characters, bringing out Monica's grey shades was both delightful and demanding. The underlying commentary about sexism, and eating the rich, only added more dimensions to the Netflix movie. "Here, everybody is grey. Raj's character is selling his tech, Monica her beauty. They are equals because they are have-nots in the system, and trying to move ahead. But nobody calls him a social climber." Another reason she holds the film close to her heart is that it subverts the seductress stereotype in Bollywood. "For me, she is the quintessential heroine who never got an opportunity, so she is creating her own. She believes she is equal to men. I see her as James Bond, who goes around seducing women. Monica is James Bond in a red dress."